Domestic violence and anger: what can primary care nurses do?

Patients with anger problems can cause difficulties for themselves, their families and society. Though psychological treatments are available, they are not always accessible. In order to help the victims of domestic violence, we focus here on working with perpetrators of violence. This article offers some statistics about the extent of the problem. It discusses difficulties in motivating patients for therapy and describes the cognitive model of anger. A number of intervention strategies based on this model are then discussed. The purpose is to assist clinicians with less experience of this patient group to help their patients minimize the frequency and severity of the anger incidents. Pointers for good practice are outlined.